Shadowlands Alpha - Bastion Questing Experience: Chapters 1 - 3

[Stoy]

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Shadowlands Alpha - Bastion Questing Experience: Chapters 1 - 3
Today we're taking a look at the first half of the questing story in Bastion! You can see some screenshots of Bastion here.

Chapter 1

• You begin your adventure in Bastion after just arriving from Oribos. There you meet a Kyrian aspirant named Kleia who is surprised to see you as the way from Oribos has been closed for quite some time. She believes your arrival is a sign that all is well again.
• Kleia asks for news from Oribos, to which you try to ask about the Mawsworn (which seems to be Kyrian in the Maw). She disregards this and has you follow her. As you walk she officially welcomes you to the home of the Kryian while also explaining that you have been chosen because your deeds in life have earned you the fate of earning your wings and flying among the ascended.
• She takes you to the Greeter, a construct who seems to have languished from lack of anima. Kleia says that anima has been scarce lately, but suggests that you siphon anima from nearby constructs to power the Greeter. You pick up a barrel from Sika, a nearby steward, and use it to extract the anima from the constructs.
• After activating the Greeter, you try to explain that Kyrian are in the Maw, but it doesn't understand and just asks what realm you are from. Kleia reflects on this reveal, however, while you tell the Greeter that you are from Azeroth (while also noting that you are not dead).

• You then proceed to learn more from four stations around the area. You learn that on the path to ascend you will shed the flaws of mortality and find peace in eternity, fill your days with ritual cleansing, all of your deeds are to be recorded, and the mighty vespers of Bastion will lift your spirits.
• You receive a one-hour buff called Tranquility that increases all of your stats by 5%.

• When you talk to Kleia again, an ascended (Kalisthene, the caretaker to the aspirants) flies down and shuts down the Greeter, exclaiming that anima reserves are too low to support it. Kleia tries to warn her of your revelations about the Maw and requests an audience with the Archon, but Kalisthene tells her to continue as instructed.
• Kleia says the best way to get an audience with the Archon is to learn their ways, and achieve some things that would normally take years. She tells you to seek out her Soulbind, Pelagos, at Aspirant's Rest.
• As you travel together, Kleia explains that she almost ascended until things went awry. She thought your arrival was a sign that all was well, but was mistaken.
• When you arrive, you find out that Pelagos started a ritual without you. She explains that a Soulbind is the ultimate bond while also noting that she can't interfere in the ritual cleansing. She asks you to rescue them, and slay 12 memories in the process.

Chapter 2

• You rescue Pelagos from a horrible memory and Kleia scolds them when you return. She then suggests you walk the path of an aspirant and sends you on her steed to Aspirant's Crucible.
• Forgelite Sophone greets you there, and tells you to approach the dais before you to light the flame and pull forth your memories of those you served in life, and you will be transported back to those moments to aid them once more. You witness and fight memories of the past, including the Fourth War, Legion Invasion, Lich King forces, and Outland demons. These memories impress the aspirants.
• Forgelite Sophone wants to activate her forge again, and sends you to Sika for advice. You are tasked with getting 25 glowing viscera from etherwyrms and finding 6 Adrima's Lilies. You also must collect a Condensed Anima Mote by activating an extractor nearby.
• You then help Sophone activate her forge and then help craft a chest piece for yourself by keeping the forge flames at the right temperature.

• You reconvene with Klaei and Pelagos and prepare for your trial by sparing with 3 soldiers and completing 8 combat meditations.
• Finally, you undertake the trial to challenge and defeat Athanos, a powerful centurion construct. Athanos defeats you, but you last longer than most and learn a lesson in humility.
• You are then sent to Aspirant's Reflection where you undergo your first cleansing. You then peer into a mirror to face some memories.
• Your cleansing is now complete, and undergoing such a rite so soon after your arrival has once again attracted Kalisthene's attention. Kleia suggests you request an audience with the Archon again.
• When you speak to her, she says that she has taken your dire proclamation of the vile beings from the Maw to the Archon herself and she imparted upon her these words: Thank you for your service. As a token of gratitude, you are given access to your Kyrian ability to test while questing in the zone!

Chapter 3

• You return to Aspirant's rest and are then told by Kosmas, a disciple of the Temple of Purity, to head there for your next trial. The temple is a place of cleansing with the sole purpose to free aspirants of the burdens they carry with them from life.
• Here you meet an ascended Kyrian named Eridia. She tasks you with aiding the disciples within the Temple of Purity. Pelagos joins you in this endeavor.
• You first have to aid Disciple Fotima by defeating a burden manifested by Acolyte Danysia, which takes the form of a human rogue.
• You then assist Disciple Helene, who explains to you that not all manifested burdens are violent. You must then cleanse the burdens of a Tauren Acolyte named Galistos, who has manifested burdens of his life that just need to be clicked to get rid of them.
• Lastly, you assist Disciple Lykaste, who has you deal with a nasty manifestation caused by Fallen Acolyte Erisne. Her burden manifests as an Eredar of the Legion, which she succumbs to and allows it to take over her. We defeat her and head back to Eridia.

• After meeting with her you discover the next quest at Disciple Kosmas, who explains that aspirants are most at risk when they are on the precipice of a revelation and many don't pass without intervention. He wants you to find the most vulnerable among your peers and do what you can to help them find the path forward.
• You must then speak to 11 aspirants and encourage them not to give up. Some of them thank you, but others will spawn burdens for you to fight or succumb to their burden entirely.
• You report back to Eridia, who then tells you that she sent Disciple Nikolon to investigate reports of the fallen fleeing the temple. They have yet to return, and so she tasks you with finding them. She makes Pelagos stay behind for this mission.

• You arrive just in time to see a Forsworn Kyrian speaking to Disciple Nikolon, tempting him with some request before flying off. You notice that this Forsworn is actually Uther! You confront Nikolon, who returns to the temple while you escort him. He explains that he is not alone with his malcontent for the temple, and tried to warn Eridia that this was coming. He believes the state of the temple is just aspirates suffering needlessly.
• He begins to succumb to his doubts, stopping and exclaiming that he will not be sent away and is still needed here. He endures while you fight off his burdens twice, and he rushes to talk to Eridia, saying The Hand will not let him fall and can help him.
• Eridia believes Nikolon will fall if she does not intervene, and asks you to assist her in cleansing him.
• You start the cleansing and fight off many burdens and doubts of Nikolon, but eventually he succumbs to them and turns into a fallen Aspirant. He believes that the process of shedding burdens grinds aspirants into dust, and the Ascended are fine watching them suffer. He exclaims that if this is truly the only way then he will find another. He leaves, saying that they are coming and he will stand among them.
• Eridia doesn't know what he means by this, and it seems a cutscene will take place after this to introduce the Forsworn as they overtake the temple, lead by a Forsworn leader named Lysonia.

• Eridia has you cleanse two Vespers overtaken by the Forsworn while also defeating enough of them to "cleanse" the area. The Vesper bells will ring every so often, debuffing you with reduced damage for 5 secs. You also find a sermon scroll among the chaos that tasks you with finding 6 other dark sermons.
• You then find Eridia on a nearby bridge and prepare to confront Lysonia. She tells you to cleanse the bells while she deals with Lysonia.
• The Forsworn allow you to pass unharmed, and Eridia recognizes the fallen leader as her Soulbind. Lysonia exclaims that they have taken the temple and her Paragon will soon meet her end. She asks Eridia to join her so they may fly together once more, but Eridia says that she is no longer her sister. The two fly up into the sky and Kosmas beckons you over.
• Kosmas flies you up into the air as the two sisters do battle. You must cleanse 3 Vesper bells around the area as he flies you to them, using extra action buttons to throw hammers at the bells and whirl anima around to stop any nearby Forsworn from stopping you.
• When this is completed, Vesiphone flies in and breaks up the fight in what looks to be a cutscene that will subdue Lysonia.

• On the ground, Vesiphone is holding Lysonia in a trace, exclaiming that she will submit or be destroyed. Eridia cannot bare to see her former Soulbind killed even though she knows in the depths of her soul that she cannot be cleansed of the malaise that holds her mind. She begs for you to stop Vesiphone by finding a way to save Lysonia.
• You confront Veisphone, and Eridia flies in, using her power (there seems to be another absent cutscene here) to stop Vesiphone. Eridia begs Lysonia to flee, but the Forsworn says she must finish her task of killing Vesiphone. You are then forced to fight and subdue her. She flees before you defeat her, telling Eridia that she won't forget what has happened here.
• Vesiphone pulls a fragment from Lysonia as she leaves, realizing that she has the power of the Maw with her. She doesn't know how she came to possess it, but says she will inform the Archon.

• Vesiphone tasks Kosmas with seeing to the survivors of the temple and vows to return for Eridia. Vesiphone says the fragment she extracted from Lysonia might be the key to understanding what has just transpired.
• She flies you back down to Purity's Reflection while explaining that you must now venture to a place called the Mnemonic Locus. It is a place of memory, where the kyrian call forth moments of their lives to be stored in the archives. If fate is kind, this piece of Lysonia will lead you to the answer. She drops you off at Kleia and Pelagos, and tells them to help you in this task at the Locus.

[Hey There Guys its Metro]

Cant wait to hear what people think about Uther's role!
I bet its going to be quite the shock for some.

[TheFirstOnes]

Of all the zones, I think Bastion's my favorite looking one. No disrespect, I love the other zones whole heartedly, but this zone is so fucking peaceful and looks the most beautiful and cool to me, especially with the floating building and shit like that.

[DemonHunter18]

LMAO when she grabs you and flies away xd

[Phagelives]

Thanks mmo champ !!!

[longevity]

needs to be an option to skip the tutorial, a lot of people have played before and don't want to be stuck being bored before they can have fun

[Daedius]

So much blue tones.

[Zmagoslav]

Cant wait to hear what people think about Uther's role!
I bet its going to be quite the shock for some.

It is quite surprising at first.
Once you consider what ascending as a kyrian really means it starts making some sense...

Considering we already have also a light version of his model i'm gonna guess we will probably shake things up by reconcilling kyrians with the felsword... and he's gonna have a role in that.

[Nero Duskwind]

Of all the zones, I think Bastion's my favorite looking one. No disrespect, I love the other zones whole heartedly, but this zone is so fucking peaceful and looks the most beautiful and cool to me, especially with the floating building and shit like that.

While the Titan mythos has leaned heavily on Nordic and, in the case of Uldum, Egyptian mythology, it's pretty nice to see them go all in on the Greco-Roman vibe with Bastion and the Kyrians.

[phattsao]

Looks a lot like the cities in Vale of the Eternal Blossoms. Might even use some of the same textures...

[Venziir]

Looks a lot like the cities in Vale of the Eternal Blossoms. Might even use some of the same textures...

Not even remotely close to looking the same

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needs to be an option to skip the tutorial, a lot of people have played before and don't want to be stuck being bored before they can have fun

It's not a tutorial, it's regular quest gameplay that just explains how Bastion etc works

[Zaries]

Not even remotely close to looking the same

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It's not a tutorial, it's regular quest gameplay that just explains how Bastion etc works

If only there was a word to describe how mechanics are taught to a player.

[Venziir]

If only there was a word to describe how mechanics are taught to a player.

That's not what these quests are though, it's just regular questing